i drove my 64 250 4x4 every day till about 6 mounts ago and a deer run her over if you need more power cummins swap it

I drive my 1966 F100 Shortbed 70 miles round trip to work and back everyday, but...... since it is 2wd I switch to my 4x4 F150 when the snow hits.
http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/m...s/IMG_1587.jpg

I live in ND and know the pain of winter that you share.
If you have no issues dealing with manual drum brakes and manual steering for a bit till you can upgrade you will be fine.

Here are the detractors...

1)The carter YFA carb is very prone to lean stumble in the winter. I have never seen any 1bbl that works worth a squat at -20F. Starting and idling are not a problom at all. Driving is just asensitive issue. That is why I recently bought a 96 W/ 4.9 to replace my carbed 85 300. You will deffinatly want a two or 4bbl carb which requires a aftermarket intake.

2)You have to have the truck air tight! My 64s 292 runs like a top in the bitter cold but there is a ton of airleaks! I drove it as a daily driver for 10 months and 6 were winter! I know what cold is! Heater on full at -35 that cab proboly never got above 20F! That is below freezing. The heater has freat output but there is a ton of airleakage in that old chassis. You need to have all good seals, a shifter boot, grommets on the holes, and no holes in the floor. You can freeze up good.

You will definately want to install power steering and atleast manual discs with a dual master cylinder. A block heater would also be a wise investment.

If you are not in a terrible hurry these seem to be ok for daily drivers. Though some comfort is manditory.

Oh, yeah,

A 2WD 60s truck is great on snow and ice. Good tires and about 400lbs in the bed.................You will get there.

Matt, Ya gotta do what ya gotta do, I can't imagine that you have that many intermitant sensor issues.

There are plenty of ol trucks with 6 bangers available if that is what ya gotta have.

Sounds like a lot of work just to get away from an occasional problem, but what do I know. :cool:




John :-X06

Sounds like a geography problem, not a truck problem lol.

daily driver
 

We have about the same drive-I'm in central Utah. Been driving the '64 daily since I bought it in 1980. It was just old then, now it's 'vintage'.

The only con is all that waving. I really need both hands on the wheel, but after 15 years of teaching computers at night and a CDL course during the day combined with a very distinctive truck, everybody waves. As you know, in a small town the lack of a return wave can earn you the title 'uppity'.

My hiway speed is only 55, but if you've ever driven a semi, you know you can be doing 90 and somebody will still be on your butt. Being tailgated is just a fact of life for me.

Lon

I just got my 65 and plan on it being my daily driver. The only con so far is the heat in Texas. A little warm this summer, but by next summer I plan on haveing an AC in the old truck. My wife said as long as it does not have a very cold AC she will not ride in it. I would like to take her to OKC, Ok some time on a Route 66 trip. I belive it would be a blast. Kevin Felix

We had a local guy here who drove a flathead powered 53 F3 from 1974 till 2006 as a daily driver.

Hauled tons of wood and scrap iron and rebuilt the engine 4 times. 3 clutches. And one tranny rebuild.

Why did he get rid of it? The thing was too drafty in January. Otherwise, he said it was a great truck that loved to work.

daily driver
 

I have had a f100-f150 as a daily driver for over 20 years but up here in the northern part of the lower peninsula of michigan I would park it during the late november thru the end of march to keep the iron moths from destroying any of my fleet of old f series trucks,but I would drive them every day rain or shine within a 300 mile radius as we are surounded by water.add seat belts and redo the brakes and steering components and drive them as they were meant to be driven.The few I have used were 1957 F100 4x4 napco,1963 F100 short unibody small window,1965 F100 2wd 8ft fleet side,1972 F100 8ft 2wd,1979 F150 4x4 8ft,1979 f250 8ft 4x4 plow truck and loved all of them.Oh buy the way the 65 and 79 150 are for sale to buy back my 57 napco 4x4.

Great info thanks again.

The truck I have now is 2wd. I grew up in VT and now I'm in WY. I learned how to drive in Feb in an old Ford station wagon, if you could keep that thing on the road... I throw a set of chains in the truck for winter but have only used them once.

The draft/heater issue is something to consider. Were the 67's any better? I have a pretty good line on one of those.

My wife doesn't work so push come to shove I can always take the car, and she's pushing pretty hard for an old F-100. Looks like an older truck will be ours before too long.

funny, I never had anyone tailgate me while I was driving my 65. I always gave myself plenty of distance in front and people amazingly always stayed way behind me. I remember one morning distinctively in bad traffic when I had about 6 car lengths behind me of free space and if anyone passed me they stayed FAR to the otherside. I was quite shocked as in anything else I had driven I would get people within a half a car distance to me. and on the highway home it's quite normal to have someone follow you that close AT SPEED!

I've been driving my 66 for the past 6 years as a daily driver. California, Oregon, Colorado and now in Arizona. Never had a problem. Haven't upgraded anything cept for a seat belt the prior owner put in. I rebuilt my little 240 about a year ago and I get 22mpg town or highway, even when I put the camper on her. I wouldn't trade her for anything.

I drive my gas hog 66 everyday to work and back! I drive close to 65 miles round trip and love my truck, well other then the fuel mileage! :-X09 It will also have to last me thru the winter until spring time when I can buy a second car to drive so I can start rippin her down and doing my full on ground up on her. Then once Im done with the basic things I want to do to it I will put her back on the road as my daily driver.

As soon as I fix it, my buddy will drive his every day. ('66 F100).

I'm a bit off of my turf coming over here ,bu I love the slicks,hope to own a 66 short-bed one day.I commute daily in my '59 about 60-80 miles,partly through twisty mountain roads,partly on Bay Area interstates.I never see anyone who regularly drives anything older than mine.I drive slow,but no one seems to expect anything different from a vehicle this old.